The Dimming Moonlight
by GlacialTwilight
Summary: Hope. It's what we all tie ourselves to in the darkest of moments, that small ray of light that we cling to, thinking that one way or another things will be better, that things will change. That things will go back to the way they used to be. [Slice of life Luna x OC]
1. Chapter 1

'It didn't have to end like that.'

A man wandered by himself, eyes fixated on the ground before him. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, his mind swarmed by thoughts and memories, conflicted feelings tugging at his heart as a struggled waged on inside him. A breeze rolled by, as the leaves in the trees around him rustled, making a shiver run down his body. Raising his head, the man came to a stop, head turning to his side, taking in his surroundings.

He was walking inside a forest. Not a big one, but not that small either. Above him, some light poles illuminated the path he had been walking through,

He found himself wearing a olive green trench coat, along with a t-shirt under it and black jeans. Raising his hand, the man pushed up his glasses, letting out a shaky breath, steam rising from his mouth from how cold it was outside.

"I should be heading home... It's getting far too cold for my tastes..." Said the man quietly

"H-help..." The voice almost sounded like a faint whisper, sending the man into a complete stop as he turned his head towards some nearby bushes. "P-please, help..." The voice grew faint as the man struggled between going there, or simply walking away. This seemed extremely suspicious, like a scene ripped out of any thriller novel, but what if someone actually was injured...?

"Ah, hell. Watch me end up in a body bag tomorrow. I'm coming!" He rushed towards the bushes, pushing his way through them as the cold breeze bit at his skin, his head whipping from side to side to look around. "I need you to help me, can you please speak up again?!" The man spoke loudly, hoping that whoever was there heard him.

"O-over here..." The voice was growing fainter, as the man rushed to its general direction, stumbling as he found a woman doubled over in a snow pile, her whole body exposed and bare to the cold environment, leaves scattered around to try and cover themselves from the cold.

"Shit..." The man cursed under his breath as he quickly took off his coat, placing it around the girl, pulling her close, her back pressed against his chest as he felt just how cold she was, shivering in his arms. "Come on, stay awake, don't fall asleep on me. Can you feel your legs...?" The man asked softly, rubbing her arms to try and warm them up.

"I-I can feel my limbs, but I can't move them too well, they feel slow..." Her body acted on instinct, seeking warmth as she pressed herself further more into his embrace, her cold and shivering figure worried him more as he began shivering with her. Another breeze rolled by as the man let out a quiet gasp.

"We gotta move from here... Is your house near here?" He asked with worry dripping from his voice, looking down at the girl.

"N-no... I don't even know where I am..." She looked up at him, eyes focusing on his face, as she tried to make out as many features as she could with the dim light they had. Facial hair, glasses, and a pair of brown eyes that seemed lost. Apparently, he was doing the same, but had gotten lpst in her eyes, a lovely shade of light blue that shone in the moonlight. Keeping mental check of himself, the man snapped out of it.

"I'll take you to my place then, once we're there I can lend you the phone. Would that be fine with you...?" The man looked at her once more, waiting for her response. He could see doubt in her eyes with a tinge of fear as she thought about it, but he understood. Lost, confused and naked, left out in the cold, who knows what happened to her. Her gaze averted from his for a moment before moving back to meet his eyes.

"Y-yes, that will be fine..." She let out a quiet squeak as he shifted his arms around to lift her from the ground, her arms wrapping around his neck to try and help him hokd her up, her body curling up against him. He seemed to feel how heavy she was before starting to run as best as he could in the direction he had come from. Soon, though, they reached an open area as the man approached something that resembled a bycicle, but much bigger.

"Here, let me set you down and help you with that." His hands moved to his coat as he helped her put it on correctly, and buttoned it up so it would cover her more. He sat in front of her as be rode his bike, a rather simply looking motorcycle, painted red with some green and black streaks on the side. "I'm going to need you to hang onto me tightly okay? I'll try to go as fast we can." With a twist of his hand the engine came to life, making her jump from the noise as her arms tightly wrapped around his waist. Right about when she spoke her mouth to inquire about it, he took off onto the streets, her body simpy clinging onto his for her dear life.

"Sorry if I scared you." He told her simply, not looking back at her. "I kinda wanted to get out of there as quick as we could." She simply stared at the back of his head, but her eyes were drawn to their surroundings as she saw the and their lights, surprised at the amount of activity there was at this time of night. Eventually he stopped at a red light, cars around them as he could hear someone wolf whistle at his companion, shouting a string of compliments at her. She hid her face into his shoulder, closing her eyes as the light changed to green and all the vehicles began to move.

'What the hell are you doing?' A voice rang in his head, as his subconcious came to life. 'What if she's a psycho or something like that and kills us at night? Or even worse?'

The man simply shook his head, ignoring these thoughts as he pulled up to a small house, driving the bike into the front door. "Here, give me a sec." He got off the bike, walking towards the door as he unlocked and opened it before moving back to the girl and picking her up. She let out a sigh of relief as they entered his home, feeling the wave of warmth hit her as they did so, spreading all across her body. He eventually took her to a room and set her down on what seemed to be a bed.

"You should rest." He told her softly as he moved the cober and sheets. "Let me get you something more comfortable." He stepped away for a second, exiting the room but coming back soon after with something in his hands. "It's some spare clothes I got, they might not fit but, they'll do for now." He placed them next to her as she simply stared at them before giving a small nod.

"Could you... Help me with this...?" She motioned towards the coat as he felt a light blush creep its way to his cheeks before giving a nod, unbuttoning and taling it off of her. She took hold of a shirt and somewhat clumsily put it on, along with a pair of shorts. They all felt loose to her, but it covered her figure up as she no longer felt cold. She simply sipped under the sheets and cover, as he wrapped them around her. "But... Where shall you sleep...?" Her eyes sought his, looking up.

"Don't worry about me, just rest." And with that said, he got up and left the room, leaving the woman to her thoughts. The door closed, left slightly ajar as he walked over to the living room, blindly finding his way to the couch. Laying down, he simply stared at the ceiling, clearing his mind of everything. And with that, a tear rolled down his cheek, only to be wiped away as he frowned, turning onto his side. Now wasn't the time for that, he'd have plenty of time for it later. Little did he know, inside his room, the girl he had just brought home was doing what he held himself back from doing. Tears rolled down her face, reality sinking in. The possibility of never going back dawned upon her, as she relived her near-death experience. She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes, only to be back home when she opened them.

\- [ { - } ] -

The hours flew by, as the city slowly came to life, the sounds of chirping birds and passing cars were heard from outside the home. The rays of sunlight slowly creeped in through the window, as the girl slowly stirred awake, hands moving to rub at her eyes as she looked around, letting out a rather sad sigh, knowing she was still in this place, wherever it was. Maybe, now that things were calm, she could ask the male questions? Yes, that would be most wise thing to do currently. Sitting up, she kept staring at her legs, remembering how complex it had been to walk or keep balance with them ever since she had gotten here.

With a small push forward, she raised herself to her feet, slowly making her way out of the room as she looked around. She now stood in a small hallway, with 3 doors around her that were closed, 4 in total with the one she had just slipped out of. Her eyes were taking in every little detail they could, a couple framed pictures adorned the walls, as she soon found herself facing a reflection of her. Standing before a rather small and simple body mirror, she began to fully admire her own figure. Slender, lithe, a bit on the short side if one talked about height, her light blue, almost light pruple hair went down to her back, and upon a closer look it almost looked like she had glitter in her hair, as it sparkled in the light.

With a sigh, she shook her head and resumed her journey across the house, as she reached the end of the hallway, now standing in the living room. That's where she saw him, on the couch in a sitting position, head leaning to the side as her ears caught a faint snore. Her mind was deciding on waking him up or not, as she slowly approached him, now being able to take note of his features. His hair was a dark brown, wavy, as he had a bit of a beard going on, a pair of glasses that looked like they were about to fall off any moment now.

She reached out for them, carefully taking hold of them, pulling them off of him as she stared at his face. She found herself thinking back to yesterday, hands gliding along her arms as she remembered how she felt when he pulled her close, how safe it felt... It sent a shiver down her spine as her hands clung to her shirt.

"Ugh... Fuck me..." She let out a small squeak, blushing hard from the words that had come from his mouth as he slowly began to stir awake, standing up to begin his morning routine half-awake, as he slowly made his way yo the kitchen, with her slowly trailing behind her. "Never again taking sleeping pills..." He began to move around the kitchen, making coffee and letting the sink water run for a second, before sticking his head under the stream of water, groaning loudly as the cold liquid forced him awake. Turning around, he stared at the entrance to the kitchen, as he noticed that whatever had happened last night, was not a dream. "Morning to you, feeling better?" He asked softly, leaning back on the counter behind him.

The girl simply shook her head as he avoided his eyes for a second, before looking at him again. "N-no... We- I mean, I have a question, if that would be fine with you." Her voice was soft, soothing almost, like if someone whispered a love song into your ear. He would see him smile at her.

"Sure, it's fine. Ask away." His hair was now a bit of a mess, strewn about due to the water as he put the towel away, basically just throwing it to the side.

"What would be your name...?" She almost looked like she was picking her words, her eyes never leaving his.

"Richter, that's what everyone calls me at least. What about you?" His arms were now crossed, resting on his chest, looking the woman up and down.

"My name?... My name is Luna."


	2. Chapter 2

Richter couldn't help but smile, hearing her name for the first time. "Oh right, let me get you the phone, you should be dying to contact your family." He quickly exited the room, leaving Luna by herself, alone yet again as she leaned against the fridge. How would she explain to him, that she didn't even belong in this world...? Would he even believe her? What would his reaction be?

"...You okay there?" His voice snapped her out of her thoughts, as she whipped her head to the side, looking at him.

"I-I'm fine, I was simply lost in my thoughts..." She simply averted her gaze for a second, before looking back at him. Stretching his arm towards her, he offered the phone so she could use it.

"Here, call your family so you can let them know that you're safe." His smile was reassuring, yet she knew, that it was all for naught.

"I can't..." Said Luna, her voice soft as she arranged her thoughts in order to provide further exposition about her current situation. He had helped her out so far, hadn't he? It was her only shot at having a chance. "I'm afraid, there is no way to contact those we would say are close to us..." She moved her hands close to her chest, cupping them together as she took in deep breaths.

"What do you mean you can't? Do they don't have a phone? Are they not from around here?" One of his eyebrows raised, as he crossed his arms, unsure of what was going on here.

"You could say that..." Her shoulders slumped, as she stared at the ground. "I don't have anyone to contact at all."

"At all...? What do you mean?" Now he was completely lost, gears turning in his head, his hand raising to hold his chin between his index and thumb.

"What I mean is that... I don't have anywhere to go..." Luna simply averted her eyes from his, not wanting to fully explain her predicament. What if he freaked out or didn't believe her? She couldn't risk that now, not after knowing how harsh it could be out there. "Richter...?" This snapped the man out of his train of thought, as he looked at her. "Thank you for saving us... We- I could have perished had it not been for you."

He simply smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't sweat it, Luna. I imagine you would've done something similar if the roles had been turned around, you seem pretty cool yourself."

Her lips curled up into a small smile, the reassuring words hitting home, feeling safe, for the time being at least, feeling thankful for not having to say anything else about her home. Eventually though, she'd have to tell him, but all she hoped to do was to lessen how hard that could be on him, unsure of how he would react. All she could hope was that it all goes well when the time comes, but for now, she would focus on the present, rather than the future. Moving towards the table, she sat down on the pulled out chair before Richter moved it forward in place.

"Alright, get ready for one heck of a breakfast m'lady." He did a small bow, chuckling while he did so as he moved towards the fridge, and began pulling out what he would need to cook an omelet for the two of them. She could only stare as he swiftly moved around, setting up the stove and the pan, moving the vegetables onto a cutting board and cutting them. throwing everything onto the pan as it sizzled, his head turning to look at Luna for a second. "Do you like your eggs fluffy, or do you like them a bit crunchy?" This brought a smile to her, simply staring in awe how he practically danced around the kitchen while looking at her, pulling eggs out of the fridge as he began to crack them onto a bowl.

"Fluffy would be fine, thank you." Luna simply smiled as the smell began to fill the air around them, just like it did back at home whenever the cooks prepared breakfast for her and her sister. "It does smell quite delectable, Richter. Are you a cook by any chance...?" Her arms moved to rest on the table, moving her body so it was facing towards him.

"Me? Hah! Not even close, I just love cooking." His smile only widened as he shook his head. "Most of it I learned from my mother, if she wasn't in the kitchen, she was taking care of us. Honestly, I'll never be as good as her. She was hands down the best at cooking." He turned around, pointing at her with a fork. "And I mean it. Those chefs on the tv? Nothing compared to her." He went back to the eggs, whisking them with a laugh.

Luna couldn't help but feel curious. "Was? Did she stop cooking?" She was tacken aback as he stopped for a brief second, but then went back to what he was doing.

"I would like to believe she still cooks, wherever she is now. Hell, she even told me she wanted us to bury her with her oven and stove." Pouring the eggs onto the pan, letting it all rest. His whole body came to a stop as he stared at the soon to be omelet. "I still can't believe it all... How fast it all went by."

Luna opened her mouth to speak but she was quickly cut off by Richter. "It's fine, I'm already over it." He flipped the omelet then folded it once, sliding it onto the plate, steam rising from the plate as he turned around with plate in hand, walking over and grabbing a fork from a nearby drawer as he set it all down in front of Luna, who simply stared at it, almost drooling as her stomach grumbled, turning away to hide her blushing face.

"S-sorry... It really does look quite good." She hesitantly took the fork, fumbling with it for a second before using it to cut a piece of the omelet, bringing it up to her mouth and taking a bite. She had wanted to ask more, but that idea faded as he had quickly changed the subject.

"Hope it tastes as good as it looks then, I'll go take a shower while you eat." Walking to the sink, he quickly washed his hands and set what he had used to make breakfast in there. He wasn't that hungry anymore, he'd probably just eat something small later. Grabbing a small towel, he dried his hands before letting it rest next to the sink.

"Are you not going to eat anything?" Her voice showed concern, looking at him as he began to exit the kitchen. Had she upset him, maybe Her thoughts were brought to a halt as he turned to look at her with a brief smile. "Relax, it's fine. I'm just tired, and need a shower. Don't let my emotional butt ruin your breakfast." And with a small wave of his hand, he was gone, having slipped inside his room and closing the door behind him. As much as he tried to hide it, she knew that he was hurting inside, but who wouldn't. The loss of a mother can be devastating to anyone. Turning her focus to the plate, she resumed eating, trying to take her mind off of it. He was certainly right, it tasted amazing, quickly finishing it with a sad sigh as she stared at the empty plate, feeling full but still wanting another bite.

Luna let out a sigh, placing her arms on the table and resting her head on them. Her mind kept going back to thinking about her situation. How was she going to get back to her sister? Would they even be able to find her? Maybe Twilight could find something but... How long would that take? Days, weeks, months? The more she thought about it the more her mood worsened. What would she do during all that time? Sure, she got lucky once, but she couldn't possibly remain a burden to her savior. By the stars, she was homeless, she barely knew anything of the place she currently found herself in, she had nothing, she wouldn't be able to survive in the harsh weather if she-

"Luna?" The girl let out a surprised yelp, jumping in her seat as her knees bumped the table, plate and silverware flying off and hitting the floor, wincing in pain as she held her knees. She turned around to look at Richter, having showered and changed already.

"Are you okay?"

Her thoughts had been brought to a sudden stop as she looked at him, wanting to be angry about him approaching her without a notice, but she knew she had been too distracted to even notice. "We- I am fine. I was just, lost in my thoughts as they say." Her eyes were staring at her legs, her hands running along her pale skin.

"Sorry if I startled you but, uh..." He moved around, sitting next to her as he rested his arms on the table, looking at Luna. "Look, is there anything that you had with you before I found you? Clothes, personal belongings, a bar of chocolate maybe?" He waited for her response as she shook her head, not looking at him. "Okay. Look, I..." He struggled for words, his feelings mixed as they fought against his rational thought. "This is more than likely going to sound stupid, if not really really creepy but..." He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh. "If you want, you can stay here for the time being." He smiled at her, calming himself down. "And don't worry about the plate, they're plastic so they're tought to break." She raised her head to look at him, her eyes staring right into his.

"Are you sure of this? Would I not be a burden to you?" She voiced her worries, as much as she didn't want to, but she was quickly given answer as he shook his head.

"Not at all. I wouldn't be able to live with the guilt of sending you out with this type of weather. Speaking about going outside..." His gaze lowered but went back up a second after. "We'll have to get you something to at least wear while you're here, can't have you walking around in clothes that clearly don't fit you." He chuckled, finding it rather silly how she looked so small in his shirt, even if he wasn't that big himself it still looked big on her.

"But, why?" Her eyebrow raised, feeling genuinely curious as to why everyone seemed to wear clothes at all time here.

"Why what? Oh, you mean clothes?" She nodded in response, as he stopped himself from asking, not wanting to seem like a jackass about it. "Well, because one can't simply go around naked. There are social norms to follow, public decency and whatnot." It was a pretty wacky explanation, but it somehow worked as Luna gave a nod.

"So, you wear clothes because society says so?"

"Well, yeah. That and I don't want people to see my naked figure." He let out a blush, averting his eyes from hers. "W-well, no and yes. There's nothing wrong with it, at least I think, but I am trying to hide my uh... Y'know, my uh." His face was burning up from embarrassment, as he blurted out the rest. "It's to hide my genitals."Silence. Complete and total silence, as he sat there, head hung low as she simply stared at him, wide-eyed. It made sense to her now, as her whole face lit up in a shade of red, blushing hard. "I-I see." She fumbled with her hands as the awkward silence took over.

"I uh." Began Richter, breaking the silence between them. " I imagine that you'd like to take a shower, freshen up. Y'know,, before we went out today to get some stuff for you." He got up, walking over to the door as he motioned for her to follow him. "I'll show you to the bathroom alright?"

She smiled at him and got up. "Yes. And Richter?" She stood next to him as he stopped to look back at her.

"Yeah?"

She moved close to him, a bit hesitant as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug."Thank you." She stepped back with a smile, looking up at him.

He only let out a chuckle, blushing as he scratched the back of his neck. "I mean, you're welcome, but it was nothing. What was the hug for, though."

She seemed a bit hurt, maybe she had gone too far with it? "Did you dislike it...?"

"No! Not at all, it's just that it caught me off guard. I didn't really see it coming."

"Oh," She hadn't thought about it that way, mentally berating herself for jumping to conclusions as they walked inside the room she had slept in. He then moved to another door inside the room as he opened it for her, revealing a bathroom. "So! Here we go. Knob on the left is for cold water, knob on the right for hot water. Soap and shampoo are there. Here's a towel too." He handed her the towel, having pulled it out from behind the door. "If you need anything else just shout for me, alright?"

She nodded in agreement as Richter exited the bathroom, but his head quickly peeked in before she could close the door. "Just remember to take your clothes off before going in the shower." He joked, getting a giggle from the girl as she playfully pushed his head out of the bathroom and closed the door.

All he did was stand there, thinking about what had just happened. Did he do the right choice, letting her stay here? Only time would tell. For now, he'd have to put things in order and set up a makeshift bed on the couch. He'll plan it out later, deciding to start with the kitchen as he rubbed his hands together, making his way there. Slipping a hand into his pocket, he pulled out a phone, tapping away at the screen as music began playing from it. Richter placed the phone on the table, and began picking up the plate and pans used, moving them to the sink to start doing the dishes.

Luna slowly walked out of the bathroom, having already re-dressed after the shower as she dried her hair with the towel. Things weren't so different from how they were back home, or at least they looked like it, from what she had seen a handful of things worked very differently, or they were completely new. A thought came to her mind, which made her laugh. She imagined how would Twilight react to all of this, knowing how the element of magic simply loved discovering and studying, maybe she'd have to take mental notes, or have something to take back if she managed to return. With a sigh, she slipped out the door and into the hallway, her curiosity getting the best of her as she quietly approached the kitchen, listening in as Richter hummed along to the music, moving around and setting everything back in place, bobbing his head to the rhythm. To her, this looked incredibly silly, which made her smile and hold back a laugh as she decided it was enough spying, clearing her throat and walking in, making Richter turn his head to look at her.

"Hey you! Give me a minute to finish here, then we'll leave alright?" He was wearing that smile of his with pride, which she returned.

"Leaving? Where will we go?" Asked the girl, leaning on the door frame as she raised an eyebrow.

"We'll go get you some clothes that actually fit. Can't have you always walking around in mine." Soon after, the dishes were all done as he grabbed a towel to dry his hands, throwing it back in place.

"More clothing... Is it really necessary? I'm comfortable with these." Luna looked down at her current set of clothes. Sure, it all felt big but, she couldn't complain, they served their purpose in keeping her a bit warm and covering her up, and other than that, she didn't want to be more of a burden to him, since she knew he'd have to spend at least some money on anything they purchased.

"Nonsense, it would be fine if I wanted to keep you locked in here, but no. I want you to enjoy yourself and go out, y'know? Have fun instead of being locked inside a dork's house. Yeesh, sounds creepy." To emphasize he let out an exaggerated shudder, making her laugh as he walked towards the door, grabbing his keys and the jacket he had left last night on the couch. "Here, put this on. It's probably going to be cold today, not as cold as last night, but it'll be definitely cold." Luna took the jacket and slipped into it slowly, wrapping her arms around her once she was wearing the jacket, feeling its warmth just seep into her.

The two of them soon after exited the house, getting into Richter's bike as Luna seemed a bit hesitant of the loud vehicle, but calmed down after he explained briefly that it was something normal. After that they took off, the city rushing past them as Richter maneuvered around the streets, rushing past the morning traffic Luna couldn't help but stare in awe at her surroundings, impressed by how big everything was, how people just seemed to swarm from one place to the other, gloom faces, dull colors. It was all just so... Devoid of emotion. Every now and then this was broken by one or two building painted in eye catching colors, mostly to attract people's attention. After a bit, they reached an open area, cars lined up all around as they had entered the parking lot, coming to a stop in front of the main entrance as she kept looking around at the design of the building. It all seemed like a mix and match of different styles as sections of the outside of the building were completely different from others, with the name of the store in big, bold letters. Both of them got off the bike, Richter leaving it there as he shoved the key inside his pocket, Luna staying close to him as they entered the mall.

The two of them made small talk, mostly Luna asking questions about everything as Richter answered them as best as he could, the topic going from how clashing the fashion styles were, to society norms, even food, as they went from store to another, having Luna pick an adsortment of clothing, having Richter help her pick out stuff most of the time. Both enjoyed the company of the other, making small jokes between them between conversationa, Richter not really thinking much about it, she was just curious about things and since he assumed she had been homeless, he just assumed it was her curiosity getting the best of her.

Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned to hours as the two of them now found themselves back home, Richter having offered to help her wash her new clothes and having them dried, the two of them now standing in front of the drier, a small conversation going on between them as they waited.

The machine simply rattled quietly, as Richter sat on top of it to make it sit still, looking down at Luna as she stared back, silence between them that both didn't seem to mind at all. She simply toyed with her hands, thinking about everything that had happened so far. Things had happened quickly, going from almost dying to sitting comfortably, warm and safe inside a home in the blink of an eye. Some would call it fate. others would call it luck. Whatever it was, all she knew was that she felt grateful. She wrapped her arms around herself, the silence being broken by a loud beeping sound as Richter got off of the washing machine, lifting the lid as he began moving the clothes into the dryer.

"Richter?" Spoke the girl softly, looking up at him as he turned his head to acknowledge her, responding with a quick 'Yeah?'

"I saw the bookcase by the entrance, and I was wondering what type of literature interests you, since the titles to the books were a bit confusing to me."

"Oh! Those things, yeah. They're mostly fiction or fantasy, and uh. Romance." He stuttered a bit at the last word, unsure if he did right in letting g of that bit of information. Few people knew that he was a total nerd for romance in any kind of media or form of art.

"Kind of like mythical creatures?" She felt herself leaning a bit forward, more interested in the first two genres than the last one.

"I guess you could say so, yeah. Dragons, hydras, manticores, gods, demigods, dark magics, cults, occultism and the like. It all really grabs my attention, sparking my imagination as I keep thinking what if life was this way, what if our world had this or that. I guess I find myself attracted to it because it encourages me to daydream and pull myself away from reality." He shrugged his shoulders, throwing the last piece of clothing inside the dryer. "Why?"

She just simply gave him a small nod, along with a smile. "I was just curious, sorry if I have been bothering you with these questions all day."

"It's not really a bother, y'know? This is honestly the most that I've talked to someone in the past month." He chuckled at what he said, as if he ignored how grave or sad it sounded. "If anything I should be thanking you for listening to my rambling. It really does put one in a good mood." He turned around, closing the door behind him as the dryer began doing its work.

She just nodded, her eyes feeling heavy for a second as she yawned, leaning onto the wall next to her.

"If you're tired you can go to sleep, you don't have to stay up. Your clothes will be ready for when you wake up."

"Nonsense." Said Luna, shaking her head. "You've been nothing but great to me ever since I got here. It is only common courtesy I keep you company after all that you've done. Losing an hour or two of sleep isn't going to hurt me, I'm used to staying up late." But after saying that she yawned again, rubbing one of her eyes with a hand as he laughed.

"Doesn't look much like it, Mistress of the Night." He joked, finding her pouting face adorable as she gave him a playful glare, before lightly giving him a push.

"I'll let you know, that I'm a Princess of the Night, do not belittle me and strip me of my title." She spoke seriously, giving him a look before laughing as well. This may not be equestria, but somehow she felt safe, for the time being.

Eventually, the two of them moved from the laundry room to the room she was sleeping in. Richter made sure to give her a space in which she would keep her clothes in, and both went to sleep. Or at least, that's what both thought the other was doing. Yet both Luna and Richter simply sat on their resting place, staring out a window, Luna staring at the moon as it hovered above them, while Richter simply looked at the stars, making shapes and figures in his head, trying his best to recognize constellations. Eventually, he rested his head on the window, letting out a sigh, humming a song to himself.

"Things will be fine. You've been through worse, Luna." The girl told herself, smiling as she held a pillow against her chest. "Just think like your sister would, there is always a brighter side." Her eyes moved from the window to the door, wondering what her sister would be up to, probably flipping the entire country upside down, which made her laugh as she literally imagined the princess of the sun looking around frantically. She really did miss her sister as much as she missed her connection with the night. Here, she was able to feel it, but she wasn't able to wield it. which left her with a sense of uncertainty, but at the same time it was poetic. It all felt like the night was wild, untamed, yet so serene and peaceful. Something she could feel yet she couldn't touch. In a way, it all put her at ease, as she soon found herself asleep.

Somehow, she knew that her sister was trying her best, that she was giving it her all despite the situation, with that composture she always had. If anything was shown to her these two days, is that hope must stay strong, and her hope was that eventually, her sister will find her, and until then, she would wait, patiently, just like Celestia would have that hope, to find her.


End file.
